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Patrick Chitumba Senior Reporter
ABOUT 500 illegal gold panners at Inyathi fought running battles with the police over the weekend over a gold mining claim in Motapa area. Scores of panners are believed to have been injured in the skirmishes which saw dozens being arrested amid indications that a plain clothes police officer was also injured. The panners alleged the police are running a pirate gold mining syndicate at the claim by allowing a few illegal miners to work for a fee.
Villagers told Chronicle that calm has returned to the area following the police operation.

A Chronicle news crew visited the area yesterday around 2PM and saw anti-riot policemen with guns rounding up some suspected gold panners.
The gold mining claim is believed to be registered under Pro-Hub Mining Syndicate.

It is understood that the gold rush had attracted people from as far as Nkayi, Gweru, Kwekwe, Shurugwi and Bulawayo.
Solomon Mutawa from Masvingo said he lost $350 and a cellphone during the fracas with the police.

Mutawa who was also injured in the stampede showed the news crew his swollen leg.
“The police came on Sunday and today (yesterday) and had running battles with the gold panners. So intense was the clash that the police used teargas but still failed to chase away all the miners,” he said.

“They then called in reinforcements and that’s when the riot police came and several were arrested while others ran away,” he said.
Another illegal gold panner claimed that one plain clothes officer was injured in the clash.

He said the police were operating a small mine in which a few panners who pay their way in were allowed to dig.
“What is making us angry is that the police are allowing some to dig while chasing us away. If you come here tomorrow you will see that. They are now running this place like the mafia in that you pay them and you are allowed to pan,” he said.

A neighbourhood watch committee member from the area, Howard Tokuda, said the police had managed to bring peace to the area.
“The police also confiscated cooking pots, metal detectors, shovels and other items belonging to the illegal gold panners after the clash on Sunday. But at night we see fires as they always come back to dig and leave early in the morning before the police come back,” he said.

Yesterday, Chronicle news crew witnessed about a dozen panners being bundled into two open trucks under heavy police guard.
As the two vehicles drove off along the Motapa-Bulawayo road, about three suspects jumped off from one of the vehicles and fled into a thicket.

The police officers then threw clothes and a satchel belonging to the escaped suspects, out of the vehicle. The vehicles proceeded to Siganda police station.
Back at the claim, it looked deserted with no sight of panners or police officers.
Massive land degradation characterised by uprooted trees, pits, small fires, and empty bottles and cans littered the site.

Some panners had even dug trenches and deep pits along the road that goes to Isabella gold mine.
A thriving community complete with a makeshift tuck shop-cum- bottle store had been established around the claim.
The women who used to run an illegal restaurant and provided washing services for the illegal gold panners were nowhere to be seen.

Matabeleland North provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Siphiwe Makonese referred Chronicle to the police headquarters in Harare for comment.